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HL20: Cheryl Bartlett, RN—Public Health Advocacy, From Bottom to Top

 |  By Margaret@example.com  
   December 03, 2013

In our annual HealthLeaders 20, we profile individuals who are changing healthcare for the better. Some are longtime industry fixtures; others would clearly be considered outsiders. Some are revered; others would not win many popularity contests. All of them are playing a crucial role in making the healthcare industry better. This is the story of Cheryl Bartlett, RN.

This profile was published in the December, 2013 issue of HealthLeaders magazine.

 

"I have realized that while I like hands on, I also see that the higher up you get in an organization the more ability you have to influence the outcome systemwide."

Cheryl Bartlett, RN, hasn't been paid as a nurse in many years, but she maintains her nursing license and says she still brings the perspective of a nurse to her job as the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

"Nurses have a wide range," she explains. "They think holistically about the person and not just about a particular condition, risk factor, or disease. They think about what a person needs from a social determinants perspective."

The DPH is the perfect place for that kind of thinking. As the commissioner, Bartlett is responsible for the work of 10 bureaus that oversee a laundry list of healthcare activities—health and nutrition, community health, infectious diseases, substance abuse, environmental health, research and statistics, licensure, perinatal services, and patient safety. Four public hospitals are also part of DPH.

Her path to DPH was somewhat circuitous. She began her nursing career at Yale-New Haven Hospital in cardiac intensive care, then moved on to Nantucket Cottage Hospital where she says she did every type of healthcare job, including running the dialysis clinic and working as an emergency room and operating room nurse, to moving up the ladder to director of nurses and director of clinical services.

Eventually she gravitated to public health, which she describes as "where my heart is." She founded the Nantucket AIDS Network and worked in social services and patient advocacy in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. Along the way she served on the board of selectman in Nantucket and worked for a nonprofit preservation organization.

She came to DPH in 2008 as deputy director of the bureau of community health and prevention. It was an opportunity, she says, to "take everything I learned to this place that really helps people across the state. I think I bring a lot of on-the-ground experience to all the work we do."

She was named bureau director in 2010, interim deputy commissioner of DPH in January 2013, interim commissioner in May, and she was tapped as commissioner in June.

Bartlett inherited a department still stinging from two recent scandals: a national fungal meningitis outbreak linked to a compounding pharmacy in Framingham and the mishandling of drug evidence at a former DPH crime laboratory.

The department has also struggled to continue its public health mission in the face of a weak economy, which has increased demand for DPH services and produced challenging budget cuts.

Bartlett says the top priority for DPH is to build the infrastructure necessary to strengthen the core foundation of the Massachusetts public health system. She points to compliance with licensure surveys for healthcare facilities, inspections for food establishments, the state's food protection program, and oversight of the pharmaceutical industry as areas that have struggled and need more attention.

She also wants to see more emphasis on health information policy and informatics to help identify efficiencies in delivering DPH services. Community engagement is also a priority. The department has $60 million in a prevention and wellness trust fund to create collaboratives with community-based organizations, municipalities, and healthcare providers to improve clinical care in early 2014. Bartlett says DPH will look at whether accountable care organizations can deliver community-based care at a more affordable cost. Another mandate is to certify some medical marijuana dispensaries by January 2014.

Despite some challenges, she characterizes herself as "someone who can get things done. I am like a dog with a bone. If I believe something should happen and it makes sense to me, then I am very persistent. I know how to navigate the waters and find the right people."

A typical work day, which often stretches well into the night, will find Bartlett visiting communities around the state to see DPH programs in action. "I like to dig in to the work. I think the more I know about the challenges and barriers, the more I can help solve problems and help the system be better."

Running a state department with a more than 3,000 employees and a $906 million budget means Bartlett has had to relinquish some of the hands on participation that she enjoys. "I have realized that while I like hands-on, I also see that the higher up you get in an organization the more ability you have to influence the outcome systemwide. I enjoy that, too."

Margaret Dick Tocknell is a reporter/editor with HealthLeaders Media.
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